1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a toy rocket launcher and, more particularly, to a pressurized air launch assembly for launching a plurality of toy rockets in sequence, including a ratchet mechanism for advancing the to-be-launched rocket into position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For decades, toy rockets have been popular playthings for children of all ages. Such rockets have been made available in all shapes and sizes. Many models have been provided with their own propellant, such as pressurized water, air, or the like. In general, those propelled by air have been considered the xe2x80x9csafestxe2x80x9d for young children to use, in that combustible materials, gases and the like are not required to propel the rocket. An exemplary prior art xe2x80x9cair propelledxe2x80x9d toy rocket and launcher is disclosed us U.S. Pat. No. 2,993,297, issued to W. A. Bednar et al. on Jul. 25, 1961. In this arrangement, an aeronautically balanced missile projectile, cylindrical in shape, is used and provided with tail fins at its rear end. The rocket includes an xe2x80x9cimpact plugxe2x80x9d and nose cone, advantageously formed of a yieldable material, such as sponge rubber, at its forward end.
The launching apparatus for the Bednar et al. apparatus comprises a tube over which the missile fits with a close fit, where the tube comprises a length such that it can be held and aimed by the hand of the operator with the missile in place. The launching apparatus also includes an impact bulb of tough, flexible material adapted to withstand a substantially instantaneous impact by the foot of the operator. Connecting this impact bulb with the launching tube is a flexible tube of sufficient stiffness and strength to withstand a sudden pressure pulse of compressed air without deforming. The Bednar et al. launching apparatus is intended to be used by placing the impact bulb on the ground, holding the launching tube in the hand, and subjecting the bulb to a sudden impact to flatten it and generate the pressure pulse which launches the missile.
A drawback to the Bednar et al. launcher is that the launching tube must be held by the user, limiting the length of the flexible and the potential distance between the impact bulb and the rocket to be launched, which ultimately limits the air pressure that may be available to launch the rocket. U.S. Pat. No. 3,046,694, issued to O. C. Holderer on Jul. 31, 1962, discloses a jet-propelled toy rocket where the launcher comprises a mechanism that rests on the ground. As shown in FIG. 3 of the Holderer et al. patent, a hand-operated air pump is connected to the launch assembly and is used to propel the rocket. The pump includes a cylinder and apertured end cap, with a plunger disposed through the aperture and into the cylinder. A unidirectional ball valve is also provided in the assembly. Thus, to fill the cylinder the plunger is pulled back and then quickly pushed in to launch the rocket.
While the use of a launch assembly as taught by Holderer et al. allows for xe2x80x9cremote launchingxe2x80x9d by a user, a limitation remains in that the launcher is configured to hold and launch only a single rocket.
The need remaining in the prior art is addressed by the present invention, which relates to a toy rocket launcher and, more particularly, to a pressurized air launch assembly for launching a plurality of rockets in sequence, including a ratchet mechanism for advancing the to-be-launched rocket into position.
In accordance with the present invention, a pressurized air launch assembly includes a top deck which is formed to support a plurality of rockets, each rocket disposed over a launch tube, where an aperture through the top deck is formed at the base of each launch tube. A rotatable launch plate including a single aperture is disposed under the top deck and is configured to rotate with respect to the top deck such that the single aperture will align with sequential launch tube apertures as it is rotated. A base assembly is connected to the rotatable launch plate and comprises a ratchet mechanism for rotating the launch plate with respect to the top deck, where the base assembly also includes a connection to a launch tube and bellows for supplying the pressurized air for rocket launching. A molded stop is included in the base assembly and used to prevent the ratchet from reversing direction.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a guard ring is included in the rocket launch assembly and used to prevent a launch when an individual has come too close to the assembly and disturbed the guard ring. In particular, the guard ring includes a pole disposed through the center of the launch assembly, where the pole then rests upon a spring that will force the pressurized air to air to escape through a central opening in the launch plate aperture if the guard ring is disturbed.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the assembled combination of the top deck, launch plate and base assembly may be tilted so as to provide for an angled launch.
In operation, a piston is included within the launch tube and, as the air enters the base assembly, the piston will engage the ratchet and rotate the ratchet forward one position. The xe2x80x9cstopxe2x80x9d in the base assembly will prevent the rearward motion of the ratchet. The piece parts are aligned such that when the air is expelled through the tube it will pass through the launch plate aperture, through the launch tube disposed directly above the launch plate aperture and, therefore, launch the rocket.
It is to be understood that any desired number of rocket launch tubes (and associated apertures) may be formed on the top deck of the rocket launch assembly, as long as all of the tubes are disposed on a common circumference and include an aperture that will align with the launch plate aperture upon rotation without causing more than one launch tube to be disposed over the launch plate aperture.
Other and further aspects of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following discussion and by reference to the accompanying drawings.